Steady-State and Dynamic Codes, Critical Review, Advantages and Disadvantages, Accuracy, and Reliability

In this chapter the assumptions behind energy simulation tools are presented. First, the general settings of a modeling framework for building energy simulation are introduced, then the differences between forward models and data-driven models are highlighted. Basic equations for assessing the energy performance of a building (mass air balance, water vapor balance, and air heat balance) are presented. In the second part of the chapter, some of the building energy simulation tools are briefly described. Finally, the calibration procedures of building energy simulation models that can be used to match the predicted energy performance with the actual energy performance are presented.